John Doolittle

Following the FBI search of his home, signaling the next level in the investigation of both him and his wife for their ties to Jack Abramoff, Rep. John Doolittle has stepped down from his seat on the powerful House Appropriations Committee.

Embattled Rep. John Doolittle(R-CA) is trying to get back on the good side of his constituents after barely keeping his seat in the 2006 mid-term elections. Trying to put his ties to convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff, and allegations of unethical fundraising activity behind him, he's promising greater accountability, and more attention to constituents. A fine gesture, but can he be for real?

Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA), apparently taking a lesson from his very weak re-election numbers and widespread concerns over he and his wife's ties to convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff, has decided to no longer employ his wife as his main campaign fundraiser. Doolittle drew criticism for employing her at a commission, directing 15% of all donations towards their household income.

Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA) who narrowly won re-election last month amid growing allegations of his ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, is writing a lot of checks to a law firm that handles campaign finance cases - $44,138 in all, and probably not the last of it.

Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA) has a fight ahead of him in his bid for his 9th term in Congress. Doolittle has been in the spotlight over his relationships with Jack Abramoff and Tom DeLay, his refusal to return donations from Abramoff and his clients, and the fundraising setup he has with his wife - she pockets a 15% commission on whatever she raises for his campaign.

I can't imagine many people in Washington will be happy to read this line in tomorrow's New York Times story about Jack Abramoff's sentencing hearing in Miami:

The judge agreed to the prison term, the minimum possible under sentencing guidelines, after prosecutors praised Mr. Abramoff for his cooperation in the Washington inquiry, which centers on accusations that he had tried to bribe public officials, including Republican lawmakers.

We all have heard about Tom DeLay's wife working for his foundation and former staffer's consulting firm, and his daughter working as a fundraiser for his PACs and congressional campaigns. But this one seems to take the cake:

Update I: Okay, the headline here is not exactly right -- it was written after I first heard the news but before I read the entire plea agreement.New Headline: Wade Made Illegal Contributions to Two Members.

Mitchell Wade of MZM -- the guy who bribed Duke Cunningham -- apparently made illegal campaign donations to two other members of Congress. More soon.